Braised Tacos Al Pastor

Al pastor tacos consist of an amazing blend of marinated, tender and aromatic pork with pineapple.

Course taco

Cuisine Mexican

Keyword al pastor, avocado, corn tortilla, orange, pineapple, pork, pork shoulder, street food, tomatillo

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 2 30

Servings

Calories 698kcal

Ingredients

For the al pastor pork:

3 tablespoons vegetable oil
3 dried guajillo chilies
2 dried ancho chilies
½ medium yellow onion, roughly chopped
4 cloves garlic, sliced
2 teaspoons ground annatto, achiote*
1 teaspoon chopped oregano
½ teaspoon cumin
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
½ teaspoon ground cloves
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ cup pineapple juice
¼ cup orange juice
¼ cup white vinegar
4 pounds boneless pork shoulder, cut into 2” slices
Kosher salt, to taste
½ cup chicken stock
1½ cups diced pineapple

For serving:

3 ( ½”-thick) slices pineapple, cored
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 cup diced white onion
1/3 cup chopped cilantro
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lime juice
36 small white corn tortillas
Avocado-tomatillo salsa verde, optional, for serving
Lime wedges, for serving

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

For the al pastor pork:

Preheat the oven to 325ºF (170ºC).
Add the chilies a medium mixing bowl and top with hot water. Let sit until the chilies have softened, about 10 minutes. Remove the chilies and discard the water.
Add the reconstituted chilies, onion, garlic, annatto, oregano, cumin, pepper, cloves, cinnamon, pineapple juice, orange juice and vinegar to a blender. Blend until the mixture is puréed.
Season the pork on all sides with kosher salt. Heat a 7.25-quart Dutch oven over medium heat, add the oil and heat through. Add the pieces of pork, working in batches and brown on all sides about 6 minutes. Set aside.
Add the chicken stock to the pot to deglaze the bottom. Return the browned pork to the Dutch oven and pour the mixture over the top. Add the pineapple.
Bring the mixture to a simmer over medium heat. Move the Dutch oven to the oven and cook until the mixture is fork tender, about 2½ hours, rotating the meat halfway through cooking.
Remove the meat, from the braising liquid and let cool. Use two forks to shred the meat then return to the braising liquid.

For serving:

Preheat a grill or griddle pan to medium heat. Brush the pineapple with oil and grill on both sides, about 1 minute each side.
Remove, finely dice and set aside. In a small bowl stir together the onion, cilantro and lime juice. Season the mixture with salt and set aside.
Heat a large skillet or griddle over medium heat and put two mini tortillas on top of each other, then warm the tortillas on both sides. Repeat with remaining tortillas.
Use tongs to place about ¼ cup of meat on each tortillas. Top with a spoonful of pineapple, onion cilantro mixture and Avocado-tomatillo salsa verde (optional).

Notes

*Note: the annatto or achiote (the two names are interchangeable) is what gives the al pastor pork it’s signature bright red color. It can be found in the spice aisle of most grocery stores or can be substituted with paprika.

Nutrition